Former Jackson Area Federal Credit Union CEO Leigh Bridges faces federal charges tied to a $95 million embezzlement scandal.
Bridges was charged on Monday with theft of funds, making false statements, and filing false tax returns, a federal bill of information filed in Mississippi’s Southern District U.S. Court revealed. Bridges is accused of using credit union funds for lavish vacations, luxury vehicles, jewelry, and homes both inside and outside Mississippi.
The defendant began working at the credit union in 1992 and was promoted to CEO in 2021, but her abuse of funds is said to have begun a decade before she took over as an executive. She reportedly hid the transactions by falsifying invoices and misrepresenting the actual costs.
If convicted, she faces up to 30 years in prison on the theft and false statements charges. She faces up to three years in prison for filing false tax returns.
The National Credit Union Administration Board, which now serves as the conservator of the Jackson Area Federal Credit Union, filed a civil suit against Bridges, her husband, Chad, and former JAFCU branch manager Tina Funez over the summer. Officials with NCUAB argued that Leigh Bridges admitted to abusing funds within her office and concealing her transactions.
Concerns were first raised in June 2024 when investigators with the National Credit Union Administration, a partner that reviewed JAFCU’s transactions, found that Leigh Bridges had allegedly wired $378,780 to jewelry retailer Tiffany & Co. The transaction, however, was reportedly deceptively altered to have investment banking giant Raymond James as the beneficiary.
An Oct. 16 settlement hearing has been scheduled in the civil suit. The hearing will take place in Gulfport. As for the federal case, Leigh Bridges is the only person allegedly involved in the scandal facing charges at this time.